Tunisia

2012

Many journalists believed that media freedoms, which were virtually
nonexistent under former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, would grow after
his ouster. During the aftermath of the December 2010 uprising, an independent
press blossomed
and special commissions were set up to reform the media sector. But since the elected
government took office nine months ago, the tide has slowly reversed.

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New York, August 29, 2012--The Committee to Protect Journalists is
concerned about an arrest warrant issued against the head of a Tunisian
television station, whose news and programming are often seen as critical of the
current government.

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New York, April 10, 2012--Tunisian authorities must
immediately investigate attacks against journalists covering a Martyrs' Dayprotest in the Tunisian capital on Monday,
the first series of anti-press attacks that the Committee to Protect Journalists
has documented in three months, CPJ said today.

Legislation for Internet security can quickly turn into a weapon against the free press. Cybercrime laws are intended to extend existing penal codes to the online world, but they can easily be broadened to criminalize standard journalistic practices. By Danny O'Brien

The danger of covering violent street protests has become a significant risk for journalists, alongside combat and targeted killings. Sexual assault, organized crime, and digital vulnerability are also hazards. The security industry is struggling to keep up. By Frank Smyth

The Middle East's political shifts changed conditions for journalists dramatically. The emerging trends favor free expression, but are filled with ambiguity and depend on the political configurations to emerge after the revolutionary dust has settled. By Mohamed Abdel Dayem

The press enjoyed new freedom after Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in January amid widespread protests, although a photographer was killed covering the unrest. The release of veteran journalist Fahem Boukadous after several months in prison was welcome news for a press corps accustomed to continued harassment and detention during Ben Ali's 23-yearreign. News media were able to report freely during parliamentary elections in October; no major press freedom violations were reported during the voting. But throughout the year, journalists were still vulnerable to assault. In May, plainclothes police attacked several local and international journalists who were covering anti-government demonstrations. Licenses were issued to more than 100 new publications during the year, but some vestiges of censorship lingered. Hannibal TV, a station owned by a Ben Ali relative, was forced off the air for more than three hours in January.

New York, February 16, 2012--Three Tunisian journalists were
arrested Wednesday for publishing a nude photo in a Tunisian daily, according
to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities to
release them immediately.